India Buying 20 More Nipah Antibody Doses from Australia:
A new case of the Nipah virus has been verified in Kozhikode, where two individuals fell victim to this brain-damaging virus recently, as reported by the Kerala government on Friday. This fresh Nipah infection brings the total number of active cases in the state to four. In response, the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has opted to acquire an additional 20 doses of monoclonal antibody from Australia for treating the virus.
In an intensified effort to curb the virus’s spread, the state government has also decided to conduct testing on all individuals identified as high-risk contacts of those infected.
Veena George, the State Health Minister, disclosed that a 39-year-old man tested positive for the virus, which he contracted through direct contact with an infected individual who passed away on August 30. The confirmation of Nipah virus infection in this man brings the total number of cases in the state to six, two of whom had succumbed earlier.
George added that the infected man had sought medical attention at a private hospital where Nipah-infected patients had previously been treated for other ailments. In a small relief for Kerala, test results for 30 healthcare workers, who were the primary contacts of the first person infected with the special virus and subsequently deceased, returned negative on Friday.
